Architecture
Art and architecture share many similarities. They've influenced one another throughout history. However, trying to liken these two disciplines will inevitably lead to certain contractions.
Perhaps the biggest difference is that Art, in its broadest sense, is defined as a creation meant to trigger an emotional response which is generally related to aesthetic pleasure. It doesn't satisfy any of life's basic needs, but it leads to thoughts, reflections, and often taps into our subconscious and our memory. On the other hand, architecture's primary purpose is to shelter individuals and ensure their safety. Architecture is meant to serve a utilitarian purpose.
Today, architecture has gone far beyond this initial function. Architects have strived to combine engineering and aesthetic research to create buildings that are so out of the ordinary we wonder how they were designed. They want their creations to stand out and favour originality and creativity. Just like in arts, architecture is influenced by the historical, social, and political context of the time and each movement has its own characteristics, from baroque to futurism to Bauhaus. Modern architecture marked a turn in the history of architecture. Architects revolutionised the social scope of their discipline and took an industrialist approach to society and nature — avant-garde architects rubbed shoulders with artists such as Georges Braque, Piet Mondrian, and members of the De Stijl group. Le Corbusier is a pioneer in collective housing, and also took part in ambitious projects which aimed to rebuild entire cities, such as Chandigarh in India. Decorative arts also developed by taking inspiration from the conventions that governed modernist architecture.
Contemporary architecture might not be a specific movement per se, but buildings that fall into this category share certain attributes. Contemporary architecture is characterised by curvy lines and various volumes in a single structure, as seen with the Sydney Opera House. The architect Jørn Utzon explained that he didn't seek to create a building for this project, but an actual sculpture. The building continually renews itself with new meanings and experiences for each passerby. Architectural works often require periods of deep reflection and a long though process in order for the architect to envisage how to give their building a sense of character and soul.
Whether architecture is an art or not is a never ending debate, but it is undeniable that there are strong links between the two disciplines. There are many examples of collaborations between contemporary artists and architects, and today the works of the greatest architects are exhibited in museums along with their fellow artists.
Discover our selections of artworks inspired by art and architecture!
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The Wrinkles of the city, La Havana, Antonio Cruz Gordillo
JR
Print - 100 x 70 x 0.2 cm Print - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch
$2,196
Near the Gates of the Cathedral
Pavlenko Leonid
Painting - 65 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$798
Paris, Elysée - La raison du plus fort
Chris Morin-Eitner
Print - 60 x 80 x 0.2 cm Print - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
$208
N° 1014 Fugato risoluto.
R. Cavalié
Painting - 81 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 31.9 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
$925
La rencontre
Franck-Bernard Gaulier
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,965
Cooling Tour
Cécile Baldewyns
Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.5 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.2 inch
$925
La Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
Marie France Garrigues
Painting - 55 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
$751
Four Times the Living Space
Brian Nash
Painting - 76.2 x 76.2 x 3.8 cm Painting - 30 x 30 x 1.5 inch
$1,750
Arche à intérioriser
Sylvie Groud
Sculpture - 30 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch
$832
Indian Wind palace Jaipur
Alain Bertrand
Painting - 80 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$3,468
Moon Shin Museum Stairs 1975
Moon Shin
Fine Art Drawings - 13 x 10 cm Fine Art Drawings - 5.1 x 3.9 inch
$2,196
Tropical Landscape
Jean-Raymond Delpech
Fine Art Drawings - 26.5 x 35.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.4 x 14 x 0 inch
$694
Python
Pauline Di Valentin
Fine Art Drawings - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$809
La Nascita, Milano Centrale, Italie
JR
Photography - 31 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 12.2 x 16.1 x 0 inch
$1,386
XX164175
Pierre Muckensturm
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29.7 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.7 inch
$751
The playful power of water
Tetiana Ocheredko
Painting - 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,800
Wrapped Snoopy House Collage
Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Print - 61.2 x 54.9 cm Print - 24.1 x 21.6 inch
$18,378
Paris Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris 5
Bruno Fournier
Photography - 18 x 24 x 1 cm Photography - 7.1 x 9.4 x 0.4 inch
$925
Tornando con le spese, Novembre 1955 - New York
Fabrizio La Torre
Photography - 60 x 42 x 0.5 cm Photography - 23.6 x 16.5 x 0.2 inch
$1,907
Twin Palms Contemporary Oil Painting
Karen Lynn
Painting - 101.6 x 101.6 x 5.1 cm Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 inch
$4,200
Manhattan Traffic
Fabien Novarino
Photography - 80 x 120 x 2 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$1,734
Spring in Notting Hill
Valerie Le Meur
Painting - 50 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,081
Walden 7 (3)
Jason Pocklington
Photography - 64 x 44 x 1 cm Photography - 25.2 x 17.3 x 0.4 inch
$277
Le manoir englouti
Lionel Morateur
Photography - 80 x 120 x 0.5 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.2 inch
$1,503
Tug of War, Bank of England, London
Slinkachu
Photography - 53 x 80 cm Photography - 20.9 x 31.5 inch
$5,548
C’era una Volta a Palermo
Fabrizia Conti
Painting - 50 x 70 x 0.1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0 inch
$925
Sunny day in Peniscula
Kateryniuk Oleg
Painting - 85 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 33.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,081
Wanted! Grand Palais, Signé
Daniel Arsham
Print - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$809
Le café renversé
Jean-Jacques Venturini
Painting - 60 x 73 x 4 cm Painting - 23.6 x 28.7 x 1.6 inch
$1,156
